I know a young lady who intended to run her first marathon. She was active and did a lot of rock climbing, bike riding and ran some 5K races, but she never ran more than 7 or 8 miles at a time. She agreed to run this marathon because her boyfriend was doing it. Love does crazy things to a person. She is very driven and has always achieved the goals she set for herself and anyone who knows her knew she could do it, but more than once during the months of training preceding the 26.2 mile race she wondered if she was going to be able to cross the finish line. Like I said, she is driven, and she knew when she said “ok, I’ll do it”, she needed a clear plan that would prepare her body and mind for the task. She researched training plans, diet requirements necessary to support such rigorous training, and identified the people who would supportively hold her accountable.
The Marquette Marathon is a pre-qualifier to the Boston Marathon held in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. It was a cold, rainy September day when she finished the 26.2 miles a little slower than she anticipated, and half an hour behind her boyfriend. She was a little disappointed in her time, but she achieved her goal to run the marathon and the process of preparing for the event helped her stay focused through some difficult events in her life. Strategic intent can give us fortitude for dealing with tough times, too.
People set intentions on all kinds of things; to get married or have children, to get a job or make a career change, lose weight, or travel to a foreign country. When you proclaim your intention and then act on it to demonstrate your commitment, amazing things occur. Here are some suggestions for taking the first steps towards successful strategic intent:
1. Get clear about your goal and write it down.
2. Share your intention with someone in a way that will supportively hold you accountable to taking action.
3. Do something today to demonstrate your commitment to your intention.
4. Acknowledge that you did what you said you would and then, take the next step.
The same holds true when talking about an organizations’ strategic intent. As the speed of business continues to accelerate and change becomes even more of a constant, the ability for organizations to be nimble, agile and execute flawlessly can be the difference between thriving and extinction. Just as it is for individuals, the health and success of an organization depends on initiatives driven by clear strategic intentions.
What is the health of your organization’s strategic intentions? Are you inspired to start running and cross the finish line?